During gastrulation, epiblast cells give rise to primitive streak mesendoderm followed by three germ layers including definitive endoderm (DE). DE differentiates into primitive endoderm wherefrom the ventral and dorsal pancreatic buds develop into pancreas. Advanced human embryonic stem (hES) cell research has ignited a vision to generate glucose-sensing and insulin-secreting β-cells via DE specification for the treatment of type 1 diabetes. However, current hES cell approaches are time consuming and complex.